The present invention relates to a golf ball which has a high durability, yet also is endowed with a high rebound, a high launch angle, a low spin and a good feel upon impact.
Recently, as the golfing population has grown, the qualities that golfers desire in a golf ball have become more diverse and individualized. Various efforts have been made to develop balls with constructions that satisfy such desires. Compared with thread-wound golf balls, the many types of two-piece and other solid golf balls that have hitherto been disclosed provide a straight, flat trajectory, both on shots taken with a driver and shots taken with an iron. In addition, they have structural characteristics which make them less susceptible to spin, resulting in a good run that increases the total distance.
Yet, in addition to having a long distance, it is essential for a golf ball to also have a soft feel when hit. Thread-wound golf balls have structural characteristics which, compared with solid golf balls, generally make them very soft and provide them with a good feel. Softening of the ball construction so as to achieve a soft feel at the time of impact is generally carried out in two-piece solid golf balls as well. Softening of the ball construction also contributes to a lower spin and a higher launch angle, which can in turn lead to an increased distance.
However, it is exceedingly difficult to obtain golf balls having both the carry of a two-piece solid golf ball and the feel of a thread-wound golf ball, and so the desires of golfers have yet to be fully addressed. Although softening the ball's construction can help to reduce spin and increase the launch angle, such a ball undergoes excessive deformation, particularly when hit by high head speed golfers, which can lower the initial velocity of the ball.
Three-piece solid golf balls in which an intermediate layer is provided between the core and the cover, and multi-piece solid golf balls constructed of four or more layers have been developed with the aim of achieving in a single ball both the carry of a two-piece solid golf ball and the feel of a thread-wound golf ball (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,898,: U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,205,: U.S. Pat. No. 6,251,031,; U.S. Pat. No. 6,565,456,).
However, even these golf balls leave considerable room for further improvement in their rebound, launch angle, spin reduction and feel on impact.